


Secret Weapon

by Pommygirl3



Category: Pitch Perfect (2012)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-18
Updated: 2013-06-08
Packaged: 2017-11-25 21:41:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/643259
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pommygirl3/pseuds/Pommygirl3
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a top secret weapons program falls apart, a young adolescent girl is left running for her life while trying to discover who she is. Bechloe AU. Rated M to be safe.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Escape

The sirens in the science facility blared at an alarming level, signalling that shit was going down. A robotic voice rang out over the intercom.

"Experiment 2531 is malfunctioning. All scientists contributing to the Bashful Extermination Causing Adolescent program report to the conference room. I repeat, all scientists contributing to the Bashful Extermination Causing Adolescent program report to the conference room for immediate debriefing and to plan a new course of action."

"Dr. Mitchell, do you know what's going on?" a frightened intern asked.

"No clue but I had better hurry. This prototype is the closest we've come to success. I need to figure out what went wrong."

The older man turned briskly walked away from the terrified boy, and into the conference room.

"So, what went wrong?" he asked as he took his seat at the head of the table.

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In the test chamber, experiment 2531 threw her small frame against the glass, hoping to break the barrier that prevented her escape. The trial had been going well; the prototype had put on her test suit and had begun tackling each challenge that was presented to her. The hand to hand combat had been completed with ease, she had taken out the faceless robots with precisely placed punches and a variety of kicks. She even managed to take off a rusted head with a sharp uppercut of the elbow.

The next stage of the combat assessment had been weaponry. The prototype brushed her brunette hair out of her face and pulled out the knife that had been resting against her outer thigh, throwing it expertly through the air. It flipped twice before burying itself into the head of an advancing robot, pinning the flailing machine to the padded wall. The small assassin proceeded to draw a handgun; Glock 27 concealed in an ankle holster, and shot two rounds into each of the remaining robots. Double tap, just like her programming told her to.

Experiment 2531 spun around and sprinted towards the last robot, tackling it to the ground. She straddled the robot, pinning its legs and torso down with her body while using her free arm to keep her assailant's arms in a lock and holding the gun underneath the machine's chin. Taking a moment to control the adrenaline coursing through her body, the prototype looked up to the face of the machine. Where the robotic face should have been was a holographic face of a young girl. The green eyes, full of fear, looked up at experiment 2531 and that's when everything when to shit. The steel grip on the gun faltered. The prototype leapt off of the machine and sprinted to the other side of the test chamber.

She could see the scientists, taking notes in the observation box.

"What have you done to me?" she shouted. When no answer came, she tightened her grip on her glock and fired at the cowards in their white coats with startling accuracy. If the glass hadn't been bullet proof, the scientists would have been dead. The scientists stopped scribbling down their notes and looked at the girl with curiosity. One man was calculating the bullets trajectory if they had broken the glass. His face became very pale very quickly. Under the scrutiny of these strangers, Experiment 2531 began to throw herself at the glass that led out into the hallway. She could see lab assistants trailing after their older associates as she continued to throw herself against the glass.

When she realized there was no way in hell the glass was going to budge, she inspected the room she was trapped in. There was a door handle on one of the walls. Running over to her possible escape route caught the attention of the scientists.

"Do you think she saw the door?" asked a muffled voice, distinctly male.

"It won't matter. The door is locked. There's no way out of that room. Now go get the tranquilizer darts so we can end this session, before I fire your ass," replied a tense female.

When Experiment 2531 got to the door and tried the handle, it was indeed locked. She then attempted to kick the door down and shoulder barge it, neither of which worked. She then set about checking the various pockets on her suit. She found a switchblade in her back pocket. Whatever it was made of was strong enough to hold its own against the door but didn't have enough strength to pry open the exit. The prototype scanned the room again, desperate to find a way out. Her eyes rested on her gun, discarded in her attempt to break the glass. When she picked up the weapon the scientists held their breath, eager to see what the experiment would try next.

The small brunette checked how many bullets were left in her clip as she walked over to the door. Two—one for her escape and one for her back up plan.

"She's going to shoot at the door!" called out the male.

"It's bulletproof, we're not stupid. There is no way out of that room," asserted the woman, effectively shutting up Captain Obvious, "Interns," she muttered under her breath, shaking her head.

With her gun raised, the brunette fired but not at the door as the scientists had predicted. The door handle was significantly weaker than the rest of the door, and currently had a bullet hole which had popped the lock.

Without looking back, she swung the door outwards and walked out into a locker room as alarms blared throughout the facility. Pulling out her switch blade, she pried open one of the lockers. Inside was a pair of baggy jeans and a leather jacket. The brunette also grabbed the headphones out of the locker and slipped the items over her current outfit. With the new clothes she could easily pass as an intern leaving for the day. On her way out of the locker room, she grabbed extra ammunition as well as money from one of the wallets lying on the bench. Experiment 2531 pulled the headphones on, obscuring her face, and walked out of the facility without a second thought.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"So, what went wrong?" asked Dr. Mitchell.

"Everything was fine until we introduced the hologram. Hand to hand was excellent, weaponry was perfect. You should have seen the preciseness on the shot she fired at us," One woman gushed.

"She took out the robots with ease, so we threw a hologram into the mix," Spoke another.

"You did WHAT?! She wasn't ready to be subjected to that. We planned to fine tune the programing to erase the emotions of assassins. This was a test run on motor skills, not mental. Who authorised this?" Dr. Mitchell demanded as he slammed his fist on the table.

"That would be me; she was showing remarkable skill level. I thought it would be productive to test other aspects while the prototype was already in the test chamber. I was trying to move us ahead of schedule." A blonde replied while adjusting her glasses.

"What's your name and department?"

"Dr. Sheila Murray, research and development of physical performance."

"Well, Dr. Murray of physical performance, GET OUT OF MY CONFERENCE ROOM."

The blonde picked up her research notes and scurried out of sight.

"Okay, we've isolated the problem. The prototype wasn't equipped to take on the hologram. Where is the prototype now?"

"We don't know, sir," squeaked a small Asian intern, who nervously combed her already flat fringe.

"Shit, somebody gather the strike teams. We've got a code red."


	2. Chance Meeting

The highway was deserted. It had been since Experiment 2531 had begun walking. She continued her journey along the dusty road well into the night, one foot in front of the other, not knowing or caring where she was headed. As long as she was putting distance between her and that horrible facility, she was alright.

Thinking about the overly clean laboratory caused her to break into a jog, eager to put the entire thing behind her. The more she thought of the hologram, its piercing green eyes filled with fear, the faster she ran. Before she knew it, Experiment 2531 was at a junction. She had run off of the highway onto a smaller road. She slowed down into a walk before coming to a complete stop, looking around in an attempt to gain her bearings. To her left was a road leading to a small building, to her right was a small four door sedan.

Experiment 2531 strode over to the car, peering inside to ensure no one was lying in wait. The science facility had made her paranoid, and she was certain people would be looking for her. When the car had been cleared of occupants she tried the handle, sighing in relief when the door opened.

She searched the car for the keys, finally finding them in the glove box, along with a map and a phone directory. The brunette inserted the keys in the ignition and turned it into the start position. The engine made a loud sputtering noise before a cloud of black smoke blew out from underneath the bonnet. Jumping free of the car, the small woman waited until the smoke had cleared before checking underneath the bonnet. After inspecting the engine, she could see that the spark plug had worn out. There was no way of starting the car or finding a replacement in the middle of nowhere.

Resigned to the fact that she was stuck on foot, Experiment 2531 took out the map and phone directory and placed them in a backpack she found lying under the passenger seat. She then began the hike to the small building she had noticed earlier.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Meanwhile, in Atlanta, Georgia, a young redheaded woman entered the Atlanta Medical Center to begin her internship. She walked up to the receptionist's desk and waited for the woman behind it to finish her conversation on the phone.

"Hi, I'm Chloe Beale; I'm supposed to be starting an internship today. "

"Ah, Miss Beale, take a seat. Dr Murray will be with you shortly," replied the receptionist who was already busying herself with paperwork.

Chloe sat down in one of the horribly uncomfortable hospital chairs and looked around the new environment. It was pretty standard as far as hospitals went, but she wasn't here for the scenery. Resigning to the fact that she may have to wait a while for the doctor, she pulled out a magazine and started skimming the pages. Not that the words would register, because her brain was too busy imagining the lives she would help during her internship at the medical center.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The seemingly insignificant building turned out to be a truck stop. The brunette ducked inside as a large semi-trailer pulled into the parking lot. More paranoia pervaded her, as she half expected men with guns to jump from the back and take her down. Once inside she looked around, taking in her surroundings. An older man popped up from behind the counter, startling the young woman.

"Hello there, stranger, can I get you anything? I'm just about to put some beef patties on the grill if you're hungry."

"A burger sounds good, and do you have any water?" she replied, not realizing how empty her stomach was.

"So what are you doing out here, anyway? Aren't you a little young to be a trucker?"

Experiment 2531's stomach sunk as she realized she had no way to explain her presence out here. Just as she was about to reply with a shrug of the shoulders and some deadpan phase, the bell on the door rang out, signalling another customer had entered the shop.

"Oi Yank, where's the food at?" the trucker shouted, with an obvious Australian accent. When the trucker came into view, she was exactly what you would expect a trucker to look like. Minus the male parts.

She looked tough, but in a passive aggressive way. Someone you wouldn't want to cross because you could clearly see she knew how to handle herself. Someone who could finish you like a cheesecake. The trucker looked over, causing her blonde ponytail to whip around as she peered at the brunette, who was avoiding eye contact.

"What's the matter, lil' yank? Scared you'll like what you see? Don't worry, I get that reaction everywhere I go," She gave a reassuring smile, "How did you get out here all by yourself?"

The brunette could feel the cogs turning on her mind as she thought up a lie. "School trip, we were supposed to find our way back to the camp site but my group took most of my stuff and then I got lost," It was said with enough confidence but would the trucker buy it? Was it even a school semester?

"No worries, do you know where the camp site is? I can take you there after I've eaten."

"Actually I'd rather not go back there," That gained a look. "Not many friends."

The trucker nodded.

"I hear ya. Where are you headed then?" The blonde inquired. This stumped the girl sitting across from the trucker. Once again she was racking her brains for an answer.

"Atlanta!" she half shouted, relieved she had remembered a name that she had seen on the map.

"Atlanta it is, but I can only take you half way. I do, however, have a friend heading into the city, we'll meet up and she'll take you the rest of the way. Oh, where are my manners? I'm Fat Amy, and you are?" She held out her hand.

"You call yourself Fat Amy?" Experiment 2531 asked, deflecting the question as she returned the hand shake.

"Well yeah, that way twig bitches can't say it behind my back," The blonde grinned.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chloe ran her fingers through her hair, sighing due to a mixture of exhaustion and frustration. When she had applied to the internship at the hospital she had thought she would be helping people's lives by acting as an unpaid nurse. Instead, she was updating patient charts and sanitizing examination rooms, oh and don't forget the delightful job of scrubbing bed pans. Chloe had yet to speak with a patient, let alone help treat one.

"Yep, today has sucked royally," thought the red head, not daring to even whisper the words under her breath in case her supervisor heard the words.

"Miss Beale!" the doctor screeched.

"Shit, she's a mind reader too," came a second thought.

"Break room now, we have thirty minutes before we have to start rounds and I want you alert and ready," demanded the older woman.

Chloe trailed after the doctor to the break room and sank down into the chair. No sooner had she touched the comfy furniture before Dr. Murray's voice rang out.

"Intern's job to make the coffee."

Chloe had to drag her ass out of that chair, which compared to those in the waiting room, was heavenly. Upon inspecting the coffee maker, Chloe placed the filter into the machine before adding the ground coffee. She then filled the pot with water and pressed start. The ginger turned around and looked at her supervisor, who had been watching her make the coffee.

"Why are you interning here?" the doctor queried.

"I want to help people and to get to the stage of making a difference, you have to start at the bottom," Chloe replied in an instant.

"HA, and you thought interning was the way to go?" laughed the blonde, who was showing herself to be quite a bitch, "If you want to get anywhere in life you have to sleep with those in charge, it's quick and easy and almost always works out. Well I say almost because I was just fired from the job I got from sleeping with someone. Dr. Mitchell, not a medical doctor, he was a scientist who headed some research program. Sleeping with him got me into a very prestigious department. It broke up his marriage, but that's his problem, and then he had the balls to fire me. Couldn't even remember my name, the dickhead."

Chloe slammed the coffee mug she was filling on the desk.

"Excuse me, bitch. I am not your personal stress reliever who you can dump your problems on. Sleeping with people isn't how you get a respectable job, it's called prostitution and it's illegal." And with that she stormed out of the break room and out of the hospital into the night. She hadn't realised how late it was. She had been scrubbing bed pans for long than she thought.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Her brunette hair was everywhere. For some reason, truckers liked to drive with the windows down and the music up. Experiment 2531 had to admit, the singing had been fun. Party in the USA had come on, and Fat Amy had belted out every word. Even the quiet girl managed to sing along with the chorus, albeit not as boisterously as the truckie who had been nodding her head to the tune. Fat Amy's friend, Cynthia Rose was also a singer but not in the same way. She was more reserved with her voice, although she did get into many a rap song that came on the radio.

"So what's your deal?" inquired the black beauty, "I mean, not to be rude but you don't talk. At all,"

"I don't have a lot to say" The smaller girl deadpanned, and they left it at that. When Cynthia Rose dropped her off, the brunette politely thanked her for the transport and went on her way.

She walked around the city, hoping to find a hotel or accommodation where she could spend the night and find a shower. After two days of travelling, on foot and in a cramped truck seat, she really needed a shower and somewhere to sleep. She couldn't see a hotel anywhere nearby, so she decided to get a better look at the city. She noticed an apartment building with easy access to the roof, so she made her way up to Atlanta's skyline.

Being high up in the air gave Experiment 2531 an unobstructed view of the city. She could see a hotel that looked nice enough without looking over priced. The brunette decided it would take too long to reach the hotel by walking, and if she left the roof tops she would most likely lose sight of her destination. So she backed up to the edge of the roof before taking off at a sprint to the other side. As she neared the edge of the building, she pushed off with both legs, propelling herself over the railing and safely onto the adjacent building. She continued in this fashion until she reached a point where she couldn't jump to the next building. Looking around at the environment that surrounded her, Experiment 2531 decided she could continue her journey on the ground when she heard a scream from an alley below. Looking down into the alley, the brunette saw redheaded woman being attacked by a man with a gun. Nope, make that two guys with guns. Experiment 2531 thought the woman was being mugged, judging by one guy pulling on the redhead's handbag. That was before the second guy pushed her against the wall and began roaming her body with his hands. The brunette had seen enough—she had to go and help. She could run off after and the ginger would be none the wiser.

The woman was trying to fight back, causing the men to get angry. Experiment 2531 didn't have enough time to find a safe way to get down from the six story building. Six stories, approximately 3.3 metres in each story. That came to just under 20 metres, 19.8 to be exact, the brunette's enhanced mind calculated in a fraction of a second. Taking a leap of faith, the girl jumped off of the building and into the alley, rolling on impact to lessen the damage her body would take.

"Ugh, that's going to hurt like a bitch tomorrow," the brunette thought.

"Where the fuck did she come from?" One guy questioned.

"Who cares, just shoot her!" the other shouted.

The guy who had the woman against the wall turned to face the girl. BANG. One shot rang out while the brunette flipped out of the line of fire and toward the male who had hold of the handbag. BANG. Another shot rang out, but Experiment 2531 used the idiot standing in front of her to absorb the bullet. As he crumpled to the ground, he shouted out to his friends who advanced into the alley. The ginger had slumped against the wall, her legs giving out from the events leading up to this girl saving her.

The two other guys pulled out guns and began firing at the annoyance that had disrupted their plans. She dodged the bullets and ran at the offending men. She gave one guy a fly kick that knocked him into a dumpster and then delivered a round house kick to the second male, effectively disarming him. The coward then turned tail and ran. She picked up the weapon that had been discarded and spun around to aim at the bloke that had been feeling up the redhead. Experiment 2531 was surprised to see him curled up on the ground.

"He didn't protect his balls very well," The ginger spoke, flashing a grin at her saviour, "Thanks by the way. I-I don't really want to think about what would have happened if you hadn't turned up, well dropped in."

Experiment 2531 couldn't move.

"What the hell happened to running," She thought. "Just say you're welcome and go. YOU NEED TO LEAVE!" her brain screamed at her.

The brunette returned her own lopsided grin.

"It was no trouble, but I really have to go." She turned to walk away.

"You're bleeding," the redhead called out. "Let me help you, I'm a medical student. It's the least I could do, considering what just happened."

"Fine, but then I have to leave."

"Of course, just let me help you. I'm Chloe," and she flashed the same smile she had revealed moments ago, "What do I call my knight in shining armour?"

The question was left unanswered as the brunette walked to the road and hailed a cab, Chloe following close behind.


	3. Who Am I?

The cab ride was silent, not awkward as such, but replaying the events that had just transpired shocked them both into silence. Chloe wasn’t just trying to wrap her head around what had happened; she was also trying to deal with what _could_ have happened. She would replay it in slow motion. Her saviour seemingly falling from above, each punch and kick delivered to the attackers, the man coming toward her. She could still feel the calloused hands going under her shirt. The smell of cigarettes on his breath as his mouth came closer to hers. It made her skin crawl. Then she would think about what would have happened if the mysterious girl hadn’t come to the rescue. Would she still be alive? Would she be left broken, a hollow shell of the person she was before? Would she have ever even left that alley?

 

Little did Chloe know, the brunette sitting next to her was having similar thoughts. What if she hadn’t made the fall? What if the bullet hadn’t grazed her arm, but pierced something more vital? It wasn’t even herself that Experiment 2531 was worrying about; it was the red-head, Chloe, sitting beside her, miraculously able to give a comforting smile after everything that had happened. What if she hadn’t been saved? The girl couldn’t explain why she felt so protective of the woman, and if she was being honest, that scared her.

“It’s just because you saved her, now you feel like it’s your job,” she told herself.

 

She risked a glance over to Chloe, and was surprised when she saw tears rolling silently down her face.

“A-are you okay?” the brunette stammered.

The ginger didn’t reply, but instead she buried her head into Experiment 2531’s right shoulder. Unfortunately that shoulder was connected to the arm which had been shot, and the sudden movement caused her face to scrunch up in a grimace as she tried to ignore the pain. She attempted to move her arm around the sobbing girl, but the pain was too great so she reached around with her other arm. The uncomfortable movement caught Chloe’s attention. She looked up at the brunette’s face, which was still locked in a grimace with her eyes screwed shut and fists clenched. Only then did it click that she had been resting on the girl’s wounded arm.

“Oh shit, I’m sorry,” she sniffed while wiping the tears from her startlingly blue eyes, “I should have remembered.”

“It’s okay; you’ve got better things to think about than my welfare,” Experiment 2531 managed to whisper through her pain clenched teeth.

“You saved my life, I’m kind of obligated to care about you,” replied the ginger.

“So I’m a burden to you. Is that what I am to you? I save you from whatever could have happened and you feel _obligated_ to take care of me,” She spat through her teeth, “Stop the cab.” When the cab driver had pulled up to the curb, she climbed out of the cab and began walking away.

“Wait here,” Chloe pleaded to the cabbie, she then followed after the shadowed girl, who had managed to walk quite far in the time it took Chloe to clamber out of the cab, “You’re not a burden,” She shouted,“ I just wanted you to know that you actually mean something to me. You did save my life,” The brunette didn’t say anything but stopped walking and turned to face the other girl, “Look, you’re still injured and I have everything I need to help you at my apartment. Just come back to my place. I’ll treat your wound, you can shower, hell; I’ll even let you change into some of my clothes. Give me some peace of mind here, please.”

 

After thinking it over for a second, Experiment 2531 agreed to go back to the apartment.

“Fine, but only because I really need to shower.”

Chloe smiled, and together they walked back to the idling vehicle. As they both got inside to continue their journey to Chloe’s apartment, neither of them noticed the man on the roof top with a telescopic sight in one hand and a mobile phone in the other.

* * *

The rest of the cab ride was filled with silence, with the occasional glance from each girl to check whether the other was still holding it together. It didn’t seem to take long for them to arrive at Chloe’s apartment. Experiment 2531 handed the money to the cabbie, who was whispering “I still love you” into her phone, before Chloe could object.

Together the two women walked into the apartment building and entered the elevator. Chloe hit the button that would take them to the 4th floor. The red head stood by the door and watched the brunette, who was leaning casually against the elevator wall while staring intently at the door.

“I still don’t know your name,” noted Chloe, her comment going unanswered by the brunette.

“Are you ignoring me now?” Chloe asked, trying to get the girl to engage in conversation.

The ding rang out, signalling they had reached the floor. Experiment 2531 stepped out of the elevator first, eager to escape the questions being posed to her. Chloe followed soon after and began walking towards her apartment.

 

When she reached the entrance to her apartment, she suddenly spun around to face the brunette.

“Stop avoiding my question! You jumped off a fucking building like it was no big deal and somehow stuck the landing. You took out four armed men with your bare fucking hands and got away with only a minor injury. Who the hell _are_ you?” she demanded.

“I don’t know,” whispered the brunette.

“What?” Chloe was shocked. She thought the other girl had just been protecting her identity, sort of like a superhero, but to hear the admission that she didn’t know who she was stunned Chloe. She opened the door and gestured for the brunette to enter. “Well, we need to find you a name. I can’t keep referring to you as ‘the brunette’ in my head,” she grinned, trying to lighten the mood.

Chloe led “the brunette” to the living room and then went to find her medical equipment. When she returned, the girl was perched on the couch.

“You need to take your jacket off so I can see the wound,” stated Chloe. Experiment 2531 hesitated before shrugging of the jacket, revealing the suit she had worn in the science facility, “Okay, I’m not sure what that is but you need to take it off, too.”

The brunette looked at the ginger in disbelief, but that damn reassuring smile that Chloe had seemed to perfect made her feel safe. She slowly unzipped the top half of the suit, still wary of what she was doing. She managed to get one arm out of the suit but needed Chloe’s assistance with the other. When she was free of the item of clothing, she was left standing in front of Chloe in with only the bottom half of her suit and a bra. Feeling self-conscious, she crossed her arms over her chest as she felt a blush rise into her cheeks. But Chloe swatted the arms out of the defensive position.

“It’s nothing I don’t have; besides, I need to treat the bullet wound and I can’t do that if your arms are crossed,” She laughed, “I need to check the injury first.”

 

Chloe wasn’t a poker or a prodder like some doctors were. She just looked at the wound, checking where the skin had been punctured, and using her knowledge of the human anatomy to know what internal damage may have been caused.

“The bullet went straight through your arm and I can’t see any fragmentation, so there shouldn’t be too much internal damage. I’m going to clean it to avoid any infection…” Chloe stopped her basic explanation to the brunette as she had noticed something strange on the girl—a tattoo placed just above her left shoulder blade. Chloe couldn’t stop her fingers from tracing the words.

“C-Chloe, what are you doing?” The brunette stammered.

“Sorry, it’s just you have a tattoo. Did you know?” the ginger replied.

“No, I didn’t. What does it say?” asked Experiment 2531.

“There’s a bar code looking thing, and underneath is says Prototype 2531.” The brunette remained silent, “Do you want to talk about it? I swear I won’t judge you. I have a friend who projectile vomited onto people before, and I don’t judge her for it. Talk to me, please?”

“The easiest way to explain it is that I’m an experiment, but I didn’t work out as planned.” Chloe intently listened; glad to finally know something about the mysterious girl, as she cleaned the wound, “There was this test, I uh, had to take out robots using hand to hand combat and weapons. Everything was going perfectly until somebody used a hologram on one of the robots, giving it a human appearance. It had these green eyes, a really piercing green. They looked so real and they looked so scared. I was disgusted with myself because of what I was about to do. The experiments aren’t supposed to feel emotion, I guess. Anyway, I managed to escape and well, here I am.” They both fell silent.

“Is that why you don’t have a name?” Chloe finally asked.

“Yeah, I was always referred to by a number. The scientists get freaked out if an experiment is too human, even when it _is_ human, like I am,” The brunette replied.

“Well, you go take a shower, and by the time you get out, I’ll have the perfect name for you.” She gave the cheesiest grin known to man. But it did its job and Experiment 2531 walked in the direction Chloe was pointing with a smile on her face.

* * *

Once in the bathroom, the brunette began stripping off the rest of her clothes, peeling off the tight pants she had been hiding under the jeans. She looked at herself in the mirror. It was the first time she had really seen herself.  Looking at the exit wound on the back of her arm, she noticed the huge bruise forming across her back. Just as she was turning around to see how far across her back the bruise stretched, the bathroom door flung open.

“I’ve got it, it was so obvious. It was literally staring me in the face the whole time. In the alphabet 2531 equals …Oh, you’re naked.” Chloe finally noticed.

The brunette blushed while desperately trying to cover her body from the intruder. Chloe, who had managed to tear her eyes away from the girl’s body long enough to realise she was uncomfortable, turned around to grab a towel for the brunette’s stark naked body. She gave the brunette the towel and offered a smile.

“I still need to shower,” murmured Experiment 2531.

“Oh yeah, okay. I’ll just leave you to shower,” she answered before walking out of the bathroom.

“Dude!” the brunette stuck her head out the door and called down the hallway, “If you’re gonna barge in on me naked at least tell me my name?”

“Have a lovely shower, Beca.”

* * *

The shadowy figure from the rooftop had followed the duo to the apartment complex. After watching the elevator to see what floor they went to, he exited the building only to enter an adjacent one. He climbed up onto the roof top where he could easily see most of the windows. Using the scope, he checked the each visible window in an attempt to find the prototype. Whilst scanning the windows, he caught a flash of red hair. The same shade of red found on the girl accompanying the brunette. The man smiled to himself as he pulled out his phone.

“This is Agent Swanson, I’ve got their location.”


	4. Pinned

Experiment 2531’s shower was interesting to say the least. The name, well her name now, kept running through her head. She was so immersed in the thought of having her own name that she forgot the injury that plagued her right arm. The pain was brought into the forefront of her mind when she lifted that very same arm to massage the shampoo into her scalp.

 

“Shit,” she hissed through clenched teeth. Chloe, who must have had Vulcan hearing to have even registered the noise, started frantically knocking on the door.

 

“Hey, are you okay in there?” the voice from the other side of the door asked.

 

“Fucking spectacular, look, it’s nothing to worry about. I raised my arm too high and it hurt, a lot.”

 

“Oh, well I’m sure we could work something out, but seriously. Do you need any help?” questioned the ginger.

 

“If I didn’t know better, I would think you’re trying to see me naked. You’ve had one free show, I’ll charge for the next one.” Beca remarked. A terse laugh came from behind the door.

 

“Oh so you think you’re funny. Well see who’s laughing when there isn’t any pizza for the hilarious brunette,” Chloe shot back. Presuming the ginger had left to get the pizza, Beca finished her shower. It took some amount of time, having only the use of her left hand but she managed to rinse out all of the soap suds and clean the rest of her body.

 

 

After exiting the shower, the brunette was faced with another problem. She didn’t have anything to sleep in and she didn’t want to dress in the dirty clothes she had worn throughout the day. So she slipped a towel around her naked frame and cautiously stepped out into the hallway, only to be bombarded with nerf gun darts.

 

“You took long enough, any longer and I would have thought you were getting yourself o--“Chloe’s words were cut off by Beca’s hand, which had suddenly appeared at Chloe’s neck, pinning her against the hallway wall. As Chloe’s airway was slowly squeezed against the hard wall, she could feel the soft curves of the smaller woman pressed flush against her own body. Beca had dropped her towel in her haste to stop the immediate threat. Before Chloe had a chance to react to being forced up against a wall by the naked woman, Beca had sprinted down the hall and shut herself in the bathroom.

 

 

Chloe slowly sunk down the wall until she was sitting on the ground, attempting to process what had happened. She ran her fingers through her hair and used the other to massage her neck.

 

“Good one Beale, shoot darts at the assassin because that’s always a great idea.” She mumbled under her breath as she pushed herself up off the ground. She walked down the hall, and entered her bedroom. It wasn’t until she took one of her overly large sleeping shirts out of the drawer that she realized she was shaking. After sitting on her bed to calm herself down, she then made the journey to the bathroom and gently rapped her knuckles against the door.

 

 

* * *

 

Agent Swanson looked around at the men who had been assigned to the unit, his unit. He had been chosen to lead this team because he was the best. His best mate Benji excelled at stealth. He could easily move the team in and out of the targeted building without anyone noticing. Donald was an explosives expert, and knew how to easily demolish the building if needed, but tonight his skills would be used to blast through a couple of doors. Unicycle, no one knew his real name (or why he was called Unicycle), was essentially the getaway driver. After years of being a stunt driver, he knew how to handle most vehicles and driving conditions.  Swanson’s eyes rested on the last member of his group, Bumper Allen. Bumper wasn’t even supposed to be a member of the covert operation, but someone in a high place said that this unit needed supervision. Thus Agent Allen was inserted into the group.

 

 

In the few hours he had been in the group, Bumper had attempted to boss everyone around multiple times, after trying to tell them all about his “epic undercover operations”. Benji nudged his superior, and best friend’s, arm.

 

“Just like old times at the academy, right Jesse,” Benji smirked.

 

“Yeah, at least you’ve stopped doing close up magic,” Jesse turned to face his friend who was nowhere to be found. Suddenly hands grabbed him from behind, and pulled him into a headlock.

 

“I still do magic and I get paid for it too. It’s just on a larger scale and now they call it stealth,” Benji shot back. Jesse managed to twist his head around and out of the headlock and pinned Benji’s arm behind his back.

 

“You can’t abracadabra your way out of this one, my young padawan,” Jesse quipped back, recalling his comrade’s obsession with Star Wars.

 

“Oi, you two trouble makers, quit making my leadership skills look bad and get back to work,” Bumper called out from across the room.

 

Benji playfully shoved Jesse away and got back to making sure everything was prepared. They couldn’t afford mistakes in this mission, they needed to capture or eliminate the prototype.

 

 

* * *

 

“Beca, open up,” Chloe begged, her head resting against the door.

 

“Go away,” The brunette pleaded; wishing she could close her eyes and erase what had just happened.

 

“I’m not leaving until you unlock this door and let me in, so…” Chloe turned her back to the door and slid down the wooden barrier. It was a good 15 minutes before the handle turned and the door suddenly swung inward, causing Chloe to sprawl out onto the cold tiles.

 

“It’s been unlocked the whole time” Beca, who had changed back into her old clothes, murmured as she resumed hugging herself in the corner furthest away from the door. Chloe slowly walked over to the brunette and eased herself onto the floor. Beca’s eyes bore a hole into the floor while Chloe stared intently at the other girls face, trying to decipher what the brunette was thinking. They sat like this for some time before Chloe finally broke the silence.

 

“You have every right to be mad at me. It was a stupid idea. I just thought it would be cute and --” her words were cut off, again, but this time by a harsh laugh.

 

“You think I’m mad at you. Chloe, I’m mad at myself. Do you even realise what could have happened? How I could have kil--"Beca couldn’t finish the sentence, instead choking on her own words with a silent tear falling down her cheek. Chloe reached across and wiped away the tear away with a cautious thumb.

 

“Beca, you couldn’t control what happened. You can’t beat yourself up over your instincts,”

 

“I can. And I will. Just watch me,” the experiment whispered back.

 

“Beca,” Chloe began, dragging out the name.

 

“Chloe, stop. Don’t try and say this wasn’t my fault. If anyone else had walked out into the hall, they would not have ended up pinning you against a wall by your throat. You cannot pretend what just happened wasn’t extremely dangerous. I shouldn’t have come here,” Beca managed to get out into the hall before Chloe could begin trailing after her.

 

“Beca, wait!” The ginger called out. Just as Beca reached the door, she was thrown backwards. A substantial explosion had ripped the door off the hinges, blowing it into the apartment along with the brunette who was now lying on the floor unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Sorry this took forever. The area I live in was recently hit by the biggest flood in 200 years, making it impossible to write. Hopefully my writing schedule will return to normal, but I am back at school and am not yet certain as to how that will affect when I write. As always, thanks to Dylan, my beta. I hope you enjoyed this chapter and please let me know what you thought


	5. Dead?

Chloe Beale groaned, and pushed herself off the ground. She eased herself against the wall, cataloguing her limbs for injuries. After double checking she had no serious wounds, the red head crawled along the ground to find Beca. Somehow, through the dust and smoke, she came across the brunette's unmoving body. Chloe paused, checking the body for a pulse, before letting out a relieved sigh. Beca was alive.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe saw silhouettes enter the apartment from the small amount of light radiating from the other side of the door. Swallowing back a cough, Chloe managed to shift Beca up and over on her shoulder. Using the smoke for cover, she felt her way down the hall and into the bathroom. Using her free hand, she managed to prop the window open, sliding the brunette's body out through the window and out onto the fire escape.

As Chloe lowered Beca onto the platform, the brunette groaned and forced her eyes open.

"Oh good, your awake. Starting going down and don't stop" Chloe frantically whispered.

"Forward much" Beca muttered under her breath. Chloe rolled her eyes.

"I'm not kidding Beca. There are people in my apartment. They blew the fucking door of its hinges" Chloe began ushering the now awake girl down the fire escape.

"WHAT! Why didn't you tell me this earlier?" The brunette questioned.

"Oh I don't know, it probably had something to do with the fact you were unconscious" Chloe retorted.

"Chloe this is serious. Those men are after me. They'll have snipers stationed on all the adjacent buildings. We need to get back inside." The brunette explained, stopping as she reached the platform below. Chloe joined her soon after.

"You're not suggesting going back in there are you? Because that's just crazy! I saw guns Beca. You've already been shot once today, let's not make a habit of it. Okay" But Beca wasn't listening. Using her elbow, she broke a window and climbed into the unknown. "Beca! Really! That's old Lady Mildred's apartment. Beca, you're not even listening to me" So with a huff, Chloe followed the brunette through the window.

* * *

The strike team assembled in their positions. Bumper and Benji watched over Donald as he attached the explosives to the hinges of the door, and inside the keyhole. Jesse rappelled down the side of the building until he was level with the ginger's home. Unicycle was waiting outside the building in a black van. Yes, it was cliché but it worked. The van had the room for both the girls, the red head was a liability now, and the colour blended in with the darkness that enveloped the city at night. The four other members of the team were situated on the surrounding buildings, armed with sniper riflesand night vision.

The plan was easy enough to follow. Jesse would enter the apartment through the bedroom window, while Donald would blow the door and enter with Bumper and Benji, giving two prongs of attack. Once the prototype was apprehended, Benji would escort the team through the building, avoiding cameras, staff and residents. They would then exit the building via the staff exit, where Unicycle would be waiting with the getaway van. The snipers were a backup plan if, for whatever reason, the prototype managed to outmanoeuvre the team on the inside, there would be no escape from the building itself.

The plan had been going exactly as it should, until the explosives blew. The charge was much too strong, blasting the door across the room and shattering the windows and other glass objects. Not to mention waking up the entire building. It wasn't a major obstacle however; they had been trained for the eventuality of residential discovery and began acting as a S.W.A.T. team. Not the real thing, but the way they are portrayed in media. It was a perfect cover that no one questioned.

As both sides of the prong attack; Jesse, Benji, Unicycle and Bumper, entered the apartment, sweeping the rooms for any sign of the two fugitives and using the tactical lights on their rifles to check corners and dark spots. After ensuring the girls weren't hiding anywhere in the apartment, Agent Swanson turned to the three members of his team, who had appeared to his right.

"Does anyone want to tell me what the fuck went wrong?" He turned to look directly at Donald. "Feeling adventurous with the explosives, were we?" Jesse accused the Indian.

"I don't know what happened" Donald explained, "The formula was correct, the test run went perfect. All the variables were accounted for. Nothing should have gone wrong" Bumper cut him off with a wave of the hand.

"I added more gunpowder" he announced casually, "I felt the formula was off so I corrected it. No big deal, it still did the job"

"No big deal! Are you kidding me?" Benji chimed in, "We needed to enter the apartment, not wake the entire building" Donald nodded, furious his explosives had been tampered with.

"Agent Allen, you may be supervising this unit, but you are not in charge!" Jesse reminded. "You just compromised this entire mission, and yo-"His reprimand cut off by an incoming communication from one of the snipers.

"We have movement, permission to engage" declared one agent. "Disregard, target has returned inside the building"

"Wait, they've come back inside?" questioned Donald. Bumper rolled his eyes.

"That's what the agent said, didn't you hear? Okay, I'll take Donald and Benji to check the floors above. You can go search the floor below." The jerk dictated. Without having the time to argue, Jesse exited the living space, and began running the stairs, rifle stretched out in front of him. If the girls were trying to escape, there was one place they would try, and Agent Swanson wasn't going to waste his time checking occupied residencies when he could set up an ambush and wait for them to come to him.

* * *

After sneaking silently through old Lady Mildred's living room, the two girls made it out into the hall.

"Please tell me this building has a car park" Beca whispered, peering around a corner to check if the hallway was empty.

"Yeah, underground parking, but my keys are in the apartment. Which we can't go back to for obvious reasons" Chloe replied, with an equally quiet tone.

"Who said anything about keys?" The brunette smirked. She darted around the corner, leaving Chloe to trail behind. As they made their way downstairs, Beca was miles ahead of the red head. Her training and small frame made it easy for her to swing under the rails and land nimbly onto the stairs below, making the time from the 4th story to the underground car park under a minute. With Chloe still travelling down the stairs, the brunette was in the shadows looking for a car they could escape in. It had to be able to blend in, while simultaneously being fast enough to out drive whatever the agents could get their hands on.

Out of the corner of her eye, Beca saw a smoky grey Mazda 3. Without thinking she ran across the parking lot, only to be stopped in her tracks by a beam of light.

"Hands where I can see them" Ordered the distinctly male voice. Beca complied at once; at this distance she had no chance of disarming the agent. Once her eyes adjusted to having light shone directly at them, she saw the man holding the gun. He didn't look to be much older than Beca herself, if Beca's age was judged by her looks. She tried to inch closer to him without alerting him to her plan.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you" He noted, "21 feet rule and all. If you were inside 21 feet, I might be worried because you would have the advantage. However, you are outside 21 feet. And I don't care how much bio-enhancement you've received, you can't reach me before I can pull this trigger" he threatened, neglecting to notice a certain red head sneaking up behind him

"Who the hell are you?" The brunette questioned, keeping her eyes trained on the agent in front of her, and not the ginger who had found a piece of 2 by 4 wood laying in the back of a pickup truck.

"Agent Jesse Swanson" He rattled off, "And I already know who you are, Prototype 2531, escapee from an undisclosed science facility."

"You forgot one thing" A voice came from behind him, followed by a plank of wood to the head. Jesse's body fell to the floor with a dull thud. In a panic Chloe dropped the wood, the clattering against the concrete echoed around the parking lot. "Oh my god, did I kill him" Chloe whispered frantically.

"Really? You're the doctor; shouldn't you be able to check for a pulse or something?" Beca deadpanned.

"Oh. Right" Chloe mumbled, embarrassed that she forgot. Reaching down, she pressed two fingers against the agent's neck. "Oh thank god. He's alive. I really didn't need to deal with killing someone today" Beca smirked and walked over to the pickup truck to find a metal rod before returning to the Mazda. Using a knife that she produced from one of her many pockets, she pried open the door wide enough to slip the metal rod it and unlock the door.

"Come on, we've got to get out of here" The petite brunette ushered.

"We can't just leave him here" Chloe argued. Beca rolled her eyes.

"Now is not the time to be compassionate Chloe, he's the enemy" She countered.

"Exactly, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. You leave him here and he will just report more information back to whoever is in charge of this mess" Beca had to admit that the red head had a point; she leant into the driver side and popped the boot.

"Fine, help me put him in the boot" As she walked around to the back of the car, she noticed the disapproving look from Chloe. "Really? Ugh, fine. But he stays on the back seat. See if you can find some rope, I don't want him waking up and taking one of us out" The brunette added, stretching up to shut the boot. When she turned back, Chloe was already securing the man with rope that she found in the treasure trove sitting in the back of a pickup. "Impressive looking knot" Beca commented, Chloe flashed a smile.

"Thanks, and before you ask I wasn't a girl scout. My dad was in the navy and when he came home we would always go camping, just the two of us, and he would teach me all kinds of knots" She explained while ensuring the rope was tight enough.

"Firstly, I don't know what girl scouts are, and secondly, I do know what the navy is and that's pretty darn cool" The brunette replied. She walked over to Chloe, pick up the rifle and slid it under the passenger seat. Beca then picked up Agent Swanson's feet and indicated for Chloe to lift his arms. Together they positioned him on the back seat, seat belt and all, because Chloe had gone all "safety first". At a glance, he would seem as if he was sleeping, which was perfect. No one would suspect anything. The brunette then sat in the driver seat and popped open the small compartment under the steering wheel. She pulled the small knife from her pocket, and stripped the wires needed before crossing them over to start the ignition.

"Did you just…?"Chloe asked. "You know that's illegal right?"

"We have an unconscious agent tied up in the back, a rifle laying under your seat, various weapons hidden in my pockets, a whole strike team coming after us and you're worried about the legality involved with hot wiring a car?" Beca shook her head as they pulled out of the parking space, drove out of the parking lot and escaped into the night.

* * *

The greying man shuffled into the dimly lit room, his back hunched slightly as he bowed to the man sitting at the head of the table whom one hand drumming on the table, the other feeding scorpions to the honey badger that was sat obediently by his feet.

"Mr Macedonia, I have news from Dr. Mitchell. It's about the weapons program you ordered." The greying man announced.

"Jeffery, how many times must I tell you to call me Alex. You've been in my service for 25 years, don't you think it's time you referred to me by my first name?" The seated man inquired, leaning forward slightly in his chair, revealing his face. There were dark circles framing his smoky eyes, caused by never sleeping enough at night. His hair was cropped short, allowing the haggardness of his face to be seen. It wasn't ugly, or unattractive, but showed that this man had seen things that need not been seen, and suffered through things that ought not to be suffered.

"O-of course, master…. Alex" The older man replied, "Dr. Mitchell wishes to inform you that the latest prototype has escaped" Mr Macedonia's eyes grew wide, "Twice" Jeffery added.

"This is unacceptable" Alex declared "Ready my car Jeffery. I've got a science facility to inspect"

 


	6. Fortress of Solitude

The small Mazda zoomed through the minimal traffic, the late time of night leaving the streets empty except for a few drunken patrons and the taxis returning them home. The eyes of the petite brunette sitting in the driver’s seat scanned the immediate area as they drove through the city, looking out for any sign that they were being followed. She cast a glance back to the unconscious agent in the back seat, checking that he was still incapacitated, before looking over to her redheaded companion.

 

“So, umm, do you have somewhere you can stay? They’ll be watching your apartment now, so I can’t take you back there. Uh, sorry about that, by the way,” Beca murmured, her eyes travelling back to the road as she swerved around a stationary truck.

 

“My best friend’s apartment is up on the left if you take the next right, but she’ll be pissed if I don’t text her before we arrive.  Hang on a second.  You’re not leaving me here, are you?” Chloe replied, a small frown tugging on her lips. She couldn’t explain why, but she wanted to go with the brunette. She wanted an adventure, and for some inexplicable reason she wanted it with the girl sitting next to her. Beca sighed. She knew leaving her only friend (well, acquaintance) would be hard, but she had to do it. Beca’s world wasn’t fit for a Disney princess, which is exactly what Chloe Beale was.

 

“It’s too dangerous. If you come with me I can’t guarantee your safety, and if something happens to you, I wouldn’t be able to forgive myself,” she argued, hoping Chloe would see reason. She didn’t.

 

“Beca, my life was turning into one text book after the other before you came into it. This has been the most interesting thing that has happened in my life. Are you seriously going to take that away from me?” the ginger inquired, with puppy dog eyes and a slight pout to match. Beca looked over at Chloe before tearing her eyes away from the adorableness with a sigh.

 

“Chloe, I can’t take you with me. You’ll get hurt and I’ll get hurt and lots of people will get hurt,” the brunette rambled. “I don’t think you understand the seriousness of the situation. I’ll be a fugitive until the day I die, which could come a lot sooner than you think. I’ll have to constantly break the law just to survive. Do you really want to be a part of that?” She raised an eyebrow, taking the right turn that Chloe pointed out.

 

“In case you haven’t realised it, I’m on their list now. They’re not going to stop looking for me just because I’m no longer in your company. If I walk into that apartment, they will come after Aubrey too, and I don’t want my best friend’s blood on my hands. Whether or not you like it, you’re stuck with me,” the redhead dictated, a smug smile on her face. Beca sighed again, realising there was no way she was going to win the argument. She was also sighing in relief. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she liked the vibrant redhead and wasn’t ready to say goodbye to her just yet.

 

With a rare smile, Beca continued driving. The Mazda passed the apartment building and continued along the road until they reached the highway, causing Chloe’s face to light up.

 

“I didn’t really have a plan for what to do after I dropped you off; any ideas?” Beca asked, feeling foolish for not planning ahead.

 

“That depends. Can you pick a lock?” The redhead grinned, already guessing the answer.

 

* * *

 

The black SUV pulled up outside the concealed science facility, the dust setting around the car as the black-haired driver stepped out of his vehicle. He surveyed the area, out of force of habit, for anyone who had been following before taking off his leather driving gloves and holding them out for his butler who had just stepped out of the vehicle. With long, purposeful strides Mr Macedonia entered the science facility, only to be greeted by an anxious intern stuttering something about taking his coat.

 

“That won’t be necessary.” Alex dismissed the student with a wave of his hand before continuing on his path to Dr. Mitchell’s office. “Get out,” he ordered the scientist who was whispering frantically to the man sitting behind the desk.

 

“Ah, Mr Macedonia,” Dr. Mitchell announced, feigning an air of calmness.

 

“Cut the crap, Warren. How did she escape? Why did you allow this to happen?” The dark-haired man slammed his fists on the desk, demanding answers. Warren shook his head, pushing himself up out of the chair.

 

“Now just wait a minute. I didn’t allow this to happen. I’m just as angry as you are”

 

“THE HELL YOU ARE!” Alex roared “NO ONE IS AS ANGRY AS I AM” Warren shrunk back from where he was standing, the sudden outburst scaring the head scientist. Slowly, Mr Macedonia’s face returned to its normal colour, and he unclenched his fists and adjusted his blazer.  The man cleared his throat. “I suggest you leave this office.” The deathly calm tone sounded the exact opposite of the abrupt eruption of anger that occurred moments earlier.

 

“I’m the head scientist on this project, and you expect me to just leave?” Warren arched an eyebrow.

 

“I don’t expect it, I’m ordering it,” Alex stated, striding towards the door. “And don’t forget to take your… trinkets with you.” He gestured to the cluttered mess on the desk. “I don’t want them to be clogging up my work space when I get back.” With those final words he stormed out of the room, leaving an uneasy Dr Mitchell in his wake.

 

* * *

 

The redhead drove the Mazda up the winding driveway that was surrounded by towering trees, avoiding the potholes as she tried to allow Beca a chance to sleep. The two girls had traded places after stopping at a gas station to refuel, and Chloe had noticed how tired the brunette had been. The redhead smiled to herself as she remembered the ordeal.

_Beca drove up to the fuel pumps under Chloe’s directions, having no idea what the gas pumps were or how to use them._

_“I’m going to have you write you a handbook on how to live in the real world,” Chloe teased as she stepped out of the vehicle. Beca just smiled, choosing to ignore the fact that unless they managed to stay undetected for the next few days, she would never get to read such a book. The redhead poked her head back in the car. ”Well, are you just going to sit here or are you going to come and have a lesson in refuelling a car by the great almost-Dr. Beale?” she joked with a wink, smiling as the brunette exited the vehicle and joined her by the pump._

_“Okay, ‘Dr. Beale’, how does one fuel a car?” Beca retorted._

_“What an excellent question, Miss…” Chloe trailed off, realising she had wandered into dangerous territory. Beca observed the panicked look on the redhead’s face and quickly smoothed it over._

_“Mitchell,” she stated, the head scientist’s name tag popping into her head. “How ironic,” She mused, “assuming the name of the man who created you, and would have you killed.”_

_“Alright then, Miss Mitchell,” Chloe continued, storing the last name for later investigation. “We have three pumps here. The green nozzle identifies the diesel, but we won’t be using it today. We want the red nozzle, which is just regular fuel. However, different gas stations use different colours.”_

_“So this lesson is kind of pointless,” Beca butted in with a smirk. Chloe just smiled back._

_“I’m introducing you to the big wide world, aren’t I?”_

_“So you are.” The brunette smiled back, picking up the red nozzle and inserting it into the car. Beca silently filled up the car, keeping an eye on the young man who was slouching behind the cash register._

_“How are we paying for this?” Chloe whispered, catching onto the prototype’s awareness._

_“We’re not,” the brunette quickly answered, causing Chloe to frown._

_“We can’t just drive off; there’s got to be some money in the car somewhere. You know, for emergencies,” she thought out loud, jumping into the car and rummaging through the glove box. After finding nothing but a car manual and collection of receipts, the redhead leant back in her seat with a sigh. “Come on Beale, think. You need money, now find it,” she berated herself. With a sudden idea, Chloe scrambled into the back seat and started searching through the unconscious agent’s pockets. She gave an internal fist pump as she came across a wallet, and almost cheered when she discovered that it held enough money to pay for the petrol._

Chloe let out a small giggle as she recalled how excited she had been as she clambered out of the Mazda, waving the wallet around like a lunatic to show the petite girl what she had found. The sudden outburst of noise prompted Beca to turn over in her slumbering state and face her redheaded companion.  Chloe glanced over to the brunette as she caught the movement in the corner of her eye and bit her lip as she noticed how adorable and peaceful Beca was when she was asleep, forcing herself to not reach over and brush the little strands of stray hair that had fallen into her face. The idea of the less-than-platonic gesture shocked Chloe a little, and even elicited a crease of her brows, firstly in an effort to figure out where the notion had come from and secondly as she remembered what happened as they paid for the fuel.

_The two girls walked into the small building to pay for the fuel, Beca clutching the notes in one hand while Chloe held onto the wallet. The redhead motioned for Beca to go up to the cashier first. The brunette coughed lightly to clear her throat before speaking._

_“Umm, I’m just paying for fuel,” she explained. Beca turned her head around to Chloe for guidance, only to be met with a thumbs up._

_“That for the little grey Mazda?” The young man asked, adjusting his cap. Beca nodded “‘Kay, that’ll be $57.76” Beca looked back at Chloe, hoping for some assistance. The ginger just used her hands to hand imaginary money to the cashier, which Beca copied. The shop assistant took the money and placed it in the till, returning the change to the brunette._

_“You’re not from around here are you?” he inquired, the harmless question being interpreted as the Spanish inquisition by the redhead who made her way over to the bench top._

_“No, just passing through,” Beca replied easily, feeling more at ease with Chloe standing beside her as back up._

_“Oh, so you two are-” the man began, but Chloe cut him off._

_“Together, yes, we are.” She announced the first thing that entered her mind, placing a hand around a tense and wide-eyed Beca’s waist._

_“Oh, I was gonna say on a road trip, but that’s cool. Also, you can tell the brunette to relax, I’m not a ‘phobe’,” he reassured the two. The brunette forced herself to relax, even letting a small smile show as the tension left her body. As they walked out of the shop Beca stifled a yawn, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by ‘Dr Beale’._

_“Why don’t you let me drive? I know where I’m going and you can get some sleep,” Chloe suggested. Beca just nodded and tossed the keys to the redhead as she unsuccessfully attempted to hide another yawn. Truthfully, they both just wanted some time to process the events that occurred in the gas station, which had a larger effect than anticipated._

Chloe shook her head to get rid of the memory and focused on the road, which was slowly turning into a dirt lane. She continued driving in silence for fifteen minutes, the only audible noise the breathing of the passengers, before coming to a stop outside a small hillside cottage that bordered the surrounding forest.  The redhead sat with the engine idling for a few more minutes, tapping her fingers on the steering wheel as she decided on a course of action.

 

On one hand, she could bring up the proverbial elephant in the room and get the awkwardness out of the way or hope that Beca had the guts to do it herself. On the other hand, she could ignore the problem and the awkwardness and hope it dissipated over time. Being the clever medical student she is, or was, Chloe went with the second option. Or was that the second first option and second option. Either way, she wasn’t making an active motion to combat the issue. With a gentle shake, Chloe urged Beca to escape her slumber.

 

“Hey, Beca. Are you awake?” she whispered, nudging the brunette with her elbow.

 

“No,” Beca deadpanned as she sat up in her seat and stretched out her stiff muscles. Chloe giggled.

 

“We’re here, at my grandparent’s cottage,” she informed the sleepy girl.

 

“Really, we made it? No gun wielding maniacs found us?” the experiment inquired, her eyes scanning the surrounding area before she flopped back into the seat.

 

“Yep, our very own Fortress of Solitude.” The redhead grinned, feeling proud of her movie reference.

 

“I don’t get it,” Beca grumbled, rubbing a hand over her face in an effort to feel more alert. There was movement in the back of the car, immediately gaining the attention of the two women in the front seats.

 

“Hang on, if Experiment 2351 is Superman, which one of us is Lois Lane?” Agent Swanson smirked, having finally woken up after being smacked in the head by the ginger sitting in front of him.


End file.
